Know-How Exchange : Other

Does the company have formalized internal marketing statements? The only way to get everyone on the same page is to create the page for them. Here are things that need to be in writing right out of the gate:

1. A positioning statement
This should be one long run-on sentence that explains who you are, what you do, who you do it for and why you do it better than anyone else. It's not marketing copy (it's pretty unweildy), but it has, in one sentence, the entire essence of who you are and why people should care.

2. A mission statement
I'm personally not a big fan of these since they're usually full of generic, say-nothing platitudes. But a statement that says specifically why you exist is worthwhile.

3. A SWOT analysis
This will tell you where you are strong and should be pushing your advantage both in marketing and sales. If both departments understand where you are strong and where you are weak (as well as where your competition is in these areas), they'll both be moving in the same direction.

4. Standard copy.
Marketing copy in 20 words or less, another version in 50 words or less and the long version in 100 words or less.

Going through the process of creating these documents will help crystalize every aspect of your marketing and sales message. Once it's distilled like this, it's easy for everyone to understand and implement. It will dispel any confusion and align the direction of two groups that don't always see eye to eye.

Also, one program that we implemented for a company that was having trouble in this area was a monthly MarCom Alignment meeting. In this meeting, the marketing people would let the sales force know what was coming up and get their input (instead of springing it on them after-the-fact like many companies do), and the sales people would share what was happening in the trenches so the marketing could better address it. It opened up communication and got everyone to take ownership of the situation instead of just complaining about each other.

Hi, Marla, and welcome to MarketingProfs. Marketing Communications is a very valuable function within a company. Utilizing the function for internal communications is great - this is an activity that most companies' Marcom departments don't take on. Instead, the HR and Marketing departments would do that direct. What I'm surprised at is that you have no external communications from Marcom. I'm not sure if you are a public company or a pre-IPO company. Either way, the Marcom department is the external voice for the company. The function handles press releases and conferences, quarterly reports, annual reports, and so forth. The effectiveness of Marcom sets the value of the company.

That being said, Derek (Velocity Media) gives the basics that go into a marketing strategy. In order to develop your Marcom function, two elements that have to be developed first are the corporate strategy and the marketing strategy. Without them, Marcom has nothing to say.

Corporate strategy starts with the vision. In simple terms, what is it your company provides to meet your customers' needs? Where is your company trying to go in the long run? Then, you develop objectives - the goals that drive you to realize the vision. And then strategies, the guidelines you will use to realize the objectives. The marketing strategy involves the elements Derek mentioned - but more importantly, up front you need to understand who your target customers are, their needs, how the competition satisfies those needs and more importantly, where they don't. You have to understand your own company's core competencies and how to leverage them to create unique selling points - that enable you to satisfy your target customers' needs better than the competitors can.

Now, with all that in place, the Marcom department develops the communications plan to tell the story the corporation wants to tell. An example of this might be communications supporting a product release. A year before the product is ready, the Marcom department might release a press release announcing a new technology. The release would talk about the capabilities and possible products that might be created to solve customer problems. Then, six months before the first product release, the first product might be announced. At product release, a press release would talk about the new product being available. Then, possibly three months later, another press release discussing a partnership with a customer using the product. The Marcom department develops and executes the communications strategy. That strategy supports the overall company strategy.

How the marketing department and the Marcom group work together is the marketing department creates and executes the marketing strategy, complete with product strategy. The Marcom department works with the marketing department to understand marketing and product strategy and how they support the company strategy. And then the Marcom department integrates this information within their communications strategy develops and implements the right portfolio of messages to each of the audiences - internal, customers, the public, the investment community, local community, etc.

Does that make sense?

I hope this helps.

Wayde